Idea Generator

In this article, I will emphasize the notion of generating lists to spark one’s imagination and provide a structured approach to writing music. Let’s start with listing the roles of an arranger, so that we can see what aspects of a piece are subject to manipulation.

Things Arrangers Typically Do: (Arranging Techniques)

Determine key, tempo, time signature, feel(s)

Interpret melodies

Feature soloists; guiding and framing their solos

Plot overall shape & density [big picture]

Structure the form, using:

intros and endings

solos

solis

backgrounds (behinds solos and solis)

shout choruses

added sections (such as adding a bridge to a blues)

send-offs

interludes

vamps

Stimulate interest through the use of:

modulations

reharmonizations

dynamic contrasts

feel and tempo changes

articulations

creative orchestration

Next, let’s consider the various styles one might consider adopting. Limiting oneself to swing rhythms exclusively is not necessary. In fact, fusing jazz with other styles helps to keep the music from becoming inbred and predictable.

Feels, Styles, Grooves:

Swing

Shuffle

Waltz, jazz waltz

Ballad: subdivided in:

eighths

triplets (12/8)

sixteenths

tempo rubato

Dixieland, “Trad”

Boogie Woogie

Cajun/New Orleans street-beat

Ethnic music:

Latin American:

Samba

Bossa Nova

Afro-Cuban

Salsa

Cha-Cha

Meringue

Songo

Tango

Rumba

etc.

Caribbean

Calypso

Soca

Reggae

European:

Legit/classical styles (with or without drum timekeeping)

Balkan 9/8

Polka

March

“broken” straight-eighths (E.C.M.)

African drumming

Native American drumming

Popular Styles:

Rock ‘n’ roll

Funk (eighth or sixteenth-note subdivisions)

R & B/Gospel

Hip Hop

Blues (Chicago, Memphis, etc.)

Disco

Smooth jazz, jazz-rock fusion

Thrash metal

Electronica, semi-electronica, “break beats”

Country 2-feel

Because music is often discussed and broken down into the three constituents of melody, harmony and rhythm, let’s examine each category, considering how and what one might choose to alter, control and edit. I often draw upon the following list of ideas when arranging and composing.

Is the melody derived from a scale? What scale? Manipulate the scale from which it was derived (major to minor, minor to major, change modes, etc.)

Rhythm:

Change meters (3/4, 4/4/, 5/4, 7/4, 6/8, 9/8, mixed meters, etc.)

Add or remove bars

Rhythmic displacement

Rhythmic canons

Change note values

Double time & half time

Double time & half time FEELS

Rhythmic expansion, contraction, inversion

Rhythmic retrograde (rhythm played backwards)

Polyrhythms (simultaneous occurrence of 2 or more rhythmic phrases of unequal length)

Clavé (son or rumba: 3,2 or 2,3)

Triplets as a rhythmic basis

Hemiolas and groupings

Isorhythms (repeated rhythmic pattern)

No time; rubato; conducted

Vamps, ostinatos, riffs

Stop-time

Harmony:

Reharmonize (more vs. less chords)

superimpose dominant cycles, ii-V’s, the Coltrane matrix

modal harmony (less changes over longer periods of time)

non-functional harmony

Formulaic, functional progressions

Extensions, upper structures and alterations

Tonicization, secondary dominants

Tri-tone substitution

Diminished passing chords

Parallelism (diatonic, chromatic)

Modal interchange

Sus chords

Slash chords (triad over bass note, triad over triad, etc.)

Quartal and quintal structures

Bitonality & Polytonality

Transpose to different key

Diminished scale harmony.

Pedal points / ostinatos

Tone clusters

Lastly, altering the tempo is an often overlooked, yet effective device with the potential to dramatically refashion a piece.

Tempos:

Fast, slow, medium, everything in between

Tempo changes

Accelerando, ritardando

Tempo rubato, no tempo

Multiple tempos at once

Metric modulations

At its heart, arranging is about decision making. The process becomes a whole lot easier when the options are clearly laid out in advance. I don’t consider any of these lists to be complete or definitive. There is plenty of room for expansion. During in-class brainstorming sessions, my students inevitably have something to add each year. If you would like to share your additions to these lists, I’d love to hear from you.